Tag: Florida

The Florida Keys, as the southernmost point of the US, have long been a popular escape from winter in the Northern hemisphere for those seeking a more bohemian alternative to the crowds and overt self-confidence of Miami Beach. And it has better sunsets.

You can of course drive there, but there is also the option of flying. Many US airlines, through their regional affiliates, fly to Key West International Airport with varying degrees of frequency from their respective hubs. American Airlines from Dallas Fort Worth and Miami; Delta from Atlanta; and United from Chicago O’Hare and Newark.

You’ll also see a number of private plans on the airfield at Key West. Other than that it’s largely Silver Airways flights to the Florida region, an airline we don’t know enough about to comment on – though online reviews don’t instil confidence.

It’s flying between Miami and Key West over the Florida Keys on American Eagle that we’ll cover as it is the most likely route for visitors to Florida.

American serves the route many times a day, typically using Embraer E175 aircraft operated by Republic Airlines under the American Eagle livery.

Seasonal Suspensions

Norwegian’s routes to Austin and Seattle which both launched only recently will be suspended for the winter season from Sunday 28 October 2018 and should resume from late March 2019.

Las Vegas, which had been suspended for the summer, returns three times weekly for the winter.

Frequency Increases

The following routes will also benefit from increases in frequency:

– Boston from five times weekly to daily
– Buenos Aires from four times weekly to daily
– Fort Lauderdale from three times weekly to daily
– Orlando from three times weekly to four times weekly

Frequency Decreases

The following routes will be reduced in frequency:

– Chicago from daily to four times weekly
– Oakland from four times weekly to three times weekly

New York JFK will also increase to three times daily, as previously announced. The suspension of Austin and Chicago for the winter does suggest Norwegian has hit a ceiling in terms of year round routes to North America from London Gatwick.

All flights continue to be operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft in a two class configuration, save where Norwegian has wet-leased aircraft as it has done to New York JFK.

Norwegian is of course subject to takeover speculation following International Airlines Group’s purchase of a minority stake in the airline. Should there be a change in ownership in Norwegian in the coming months it is highly likely there will be changes to its network.

In response to Hurricane Irma, here are the published rebooking policies by airline. Given the very fluid situation and unknown extent of disruption both the dates of flights eligible for proactive rebooking may change and the date up to which you can rebook may change (as they have already done) in the coming days.

Please note that if you have booked a tour package via a travel agent, the options below may not apply and you should contact your travel agent directly.

It is also worth noting that if you are due to fly via Miami on BA or Virgin to another destination in the Americas it is worth exploring an alternative routing via the hubs of their partner airlines.

BA has extensive codeshares with Iberia from Madrid and American Airlines from hubs such as Dallas Forth Worth and New York JFK. Virgin also has extensive codeshares with Delta from hubs such as Atlanta and New York JFK.

If your flight is cancelled you will be entitled to a full refund and reimbursement of reasonable incidental expenses. If your flight is operating but you choose to rebook to an alternative date/destination any consequential costs may not be met by the airline.

It’s also worth noting that many smaller hotels / guest houses in Florida have already closed for business until next week. Larger properties have also waived change / cancellation fees.

As at 22:00 BST on Thursday 7 September 2017, there are no less than three hurricanes on the Atlantic ocean. These are hurricanes Irma, Jose & Katia. There have been, and will continue to be, cancellations of flights to the Caribbean and Florida. Some flights have also be retimed and rerouted.

There are extensive cancellations to Miami International Airport over the weekend with long-haul flights cancelled and US domestic airlines also suspending operations from Friday evening through to Sunday at the earliest.The airport’s Twitter feed contains up to date guidance for passengers due to travel through the airport.

Airlines have also introduced flexible rebooking policies for passengers due to travel to the region in the coming days.

Rebooking Policies

Here are the published rebooking policies by airline. Please note that if you have booked a tour package via a travel agent, the options below may not apply and you should contact your travel agent directly.

It is also worth noting that if you are due to fly via Miami on BA or Virgin to another destination in the Americas it is worth exploring an alternative routing via the hubs of their partner airlines.

BA has extensive codeshares with Iberia from Madrid and American Airlines from hubs such as Dallas Forth Worth and New York JFK. Virgin also has extensive codeshares with Delta from hubs such as Atlanta and New York JFK.

If your flight is cancelled you will be entitled to a full refund and reimbursement of reasonable incidental expenses. If your flight is operating but you choose to rebook to an alternative date/destination any consequential costs may not be met by the airline.

It’s also worth noting that many smaller hotels / guest houses in Florida have already closed for business until next week. Larger properties have also waived change / cancellation fees.

It is also BA’s fourth destination in Florida after Miami, Orlando and Tampa.

Flights will operate three times weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) with additional flight on Sunday in the peak summer season (16 July – 3 September 2017).

Flights will be operated using a three class Boeing 777-200 aircraft with Club World business class, World Traveller Plus premium economy, and World Traveller economy.

BA is not for the first airline to fly to Fort Lauderdale from Gatwick as Norwegian have been flying the route for some time. Indeed, this is the second time BA has launched a new route to head-to-head with Norwegian at Gatwick, after reinstating flights from Gatwick to New York JFK.

This route will popular with tourists to South Florida and those taking cruises from the area.

It is also a potentially better gateway than Miami airport and should promise a smoother experience in US Customs & Immigration.

That said, BA’s Airbus A380 operated flights from London Heathrow to Miami will offer the option of First Class, newer World Traveller Plus and World Traveller seating, a more advanced in flight entertainment system and a more pleasant cabin environment. It will of course be possible to “mix and match” flights between different airports. Flights will also be codeshared with Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Finnair and Iberia.